Rom, the Vacuous Spider
Rom, the Vacuous Spider is a boss and a Kin in Bloodborne. Description Despite her title, Rom resembles a gigantic pillbug rather than an arachnid. She has a silverfish-like tail and a bulbous body from which vegetation appears to be growing, possibly Coldblood Flowers. Her face resembles a chunk of pumice and is covered in eyes, suggesting its connection to the Great Ones. Rom is initially non-hostile until provoked, at which point will use powerful magic attacks to defend herself. Rom is accompanied by creatures known as the Children of Rom. They resemble actual spiders, but with the same shaped head and appear to have blades for legs. These spiders are possibly either the literal spawn of Rom or were created in order to defend the creature. Location * Moonside Lake: ** Found in Byrgenwerth, after jumping into the water from the balcony where Master Willem is located. Chalice Dungeon * Rom can be found as an optional boss in Chalice Dungeons. Lore Rom, the Vacuous Spider controls the barrier that prevents normal Yharnamites from seeing the true horrors around them, such as the Lesser Amygdalas crawling around the Cathedral Ward. Rom was once a scholar of Byrgenwerth whom at some point went through metamorphosis into a Great One courtesy of Kos, according to dialogue given by Micolash. :: "The Byrgenwerth spider hides all manner of rituals and keeps our lost master from us. A terrible shame. It makes my head shudder uncontrollably." - Note from library area just beyond the Tomb of Oedon. :: "The spider hides all manner of rituals, certain to reveal nothing, for true enlightenment need not be shared." '' - Note from the second floor of Byrgenwerth. :: ''"Ahh, Kos or some say Kosm... Do you hear our prayers? As you once did for the vacuous Rom, grant us eyes, grant us eyes." ''- Micolash, Host of the Nightmare. Strategy This fight is broken up into three (3) phases. Phase 1 Rom will spawn numerous spiders to surround and guard her. They move rather slowly but can deal a lot of damage if the Hunter has low Vitality. Like Rom, the spiders have armored heads and vulnerable bodies. It's best to attack them from behind or bait out their jumping attack. Alternatively, attacking their heads three (3) times will wear away the armor. The spiders can be killed before attacking Rom or completely ignored. During this phase, Rom will be non-hostile and will retreat whenever approached. Once enough damage is dealt, Rom will teleport to a different location and start the next phase. Phase 2 Rom will spawn more spiders and begin using arcane attacks. When the Hunter is at mid to long range, Rom will summon arcane crystals from the sky. When the Hunter is at close range, Rom will either do an AoE blast or summon crystals from the ground. Once enough damage is dealt, or enough time passes, Rom will teleport to a different location and start the next phase. Phase 3 This phase will be the same as phase 2, only this time, Rom will flail around if the Hunter is close to her body. Beware, as her flail attack is most deadly near her head, and also more difficult to anticipate. Summons It is possible to Summon League Confederates for the fight against Rom. You must have the Impurity Rune equipped to summon them. Old Hunter Henryk- Wields Saw Cleaver, Hunter Pistol, and Throwing Knives. Younger Madaras Twin- Wields Hunter Axe, Hunter Blunderbuss, and Madaras Whistle. Mensis Scholar Damian- Wields Threaded Cane, Loch Shield, Choir Bell, Augur of Ebrietas, Blacksky Eye and A Call Beyond (doesn't require Impurity Rune). Conclusion After the battle, approach Yharnam, Pthumerian Queen for a short cutscene. The Hunter is then teleported to the Cathedral Ward with the following message: :"Ritual secret broken. Seek the nightmare newborn."'' :The nightmare newborn mentioned is Mergo. Tactics Rom has minor weaknesses against fire. Applying Bolt Paper or Fire Paper to a weapon will help deal extra damage. The Tonitrus is very effective, as Rom is a Kin Great One and Kin will take extra damage from Bolt. The most common strategy is to ignore the spiders completely and use hit-and-run tactics. Run in a small figure 8 around Rom until an opening is found. Attack a few times, then retreat. Keep an eye out for the other spiders. However, the most effective strategy is to strike down the spiders while not taking eyes off of Rom to ensure that she does not employ meteor showers, arcane blasts or attempt to body slam you in later phases. Make sure to attack a spider and roll away as another spider will likely attempt to attack you. Never strike Rom's head or a spiders' head. You will do pitiful damage. Another strategy is to stay just behind Rom's head and attack using the Flamesprayer. This will cause her to constantly retreat due to the continuous damage. It's recommended to kill the spiders first when using this method. An even better tactic is to get a summon and have both of you use the Flamesprayer. The continuous hits and damage will prevent her from teleporting and starting the next phase. When encountering Rom in a Chalice Dungeon, the pillars in the room can block her meteors. It is also much easier to isolate and eliminate the spiders as they tend to be spread out around the boss room rather than cluster around Rom. Rom also is more aggressive in the Chalice dungeon and you will likely need to back off many times. Attack Patterns Notes *It is advised to kill all of the spiders during the first phase of the fight as most players might find it hard with the increasingly larger number of minions that she spawns thereafter. *By dealing enough damage in the first phase, it is possible to force Rom to skip the second phase of the fight completely. If you do this, Rom won't teleport, and will still be completely docile to the player. The spiders that normally spawn in phase 2 will still appear. *After defeating Rom, it is possible to use a Bold Hunter's Mark to leave the area without triggering the Blood Moon phase. This is due to the fact that the Blood Moon's trigger is to approach the figure that appears after slaying Rom, rather than the slaying of Rom itself. Players can then go back to the arena when they feel the need to progress the game naturally. *There is a chance to encounter a peculiar glitch during this fight, in which additional spider minions start spawning from the very beginning, but won't attack. It's possible to exterminate them all, then deal with those in close vicinity to Rom (those are aggressive), thus leaving her unguarded and unable to summon more minions to her aid. Trivia *Rom, the Vacuous Spider is mentioned as the "Byrgenwerth Spider" in a note found in the Oedon Chapel library. *Rom, and/or the expanse below the lake is referenced by the Lunarium Key as a secret Master Willem left with the lake. *Rom is a Kin Great One. She was granted being a Great One by Kos, but at the same time, she is a Kin. She was beckoned by Willem to create a barrier, so humans couldn't see the Lesser Amygdala's clinging to buildings. Rom also has more than one physical body, the second is in the Labyrinths under Yharnam. *Rom has in total 16 legs (8 on each side), and 10 tails (5 short, 5 long). *Using the Tiny Music Box will make Rom stop from moving. *This spider must have been placed with Wilhelm's knowledge and probably during Laurence's time at Brygenwerth. *In an interview with Miyazaki, Rom was confirmed to be female. *Also known as 白痴の蜘蛛ロマ (Roma, the Idiotic Spider) in the Japanese Version based on the novel "The Idiot" by Fyodor Dostoevskyhttp://seesaawiki.jp/bloodbornewiki/d/%C7%F2%C3%D4%A4%CE%C3%D8%E9%E1%A1%A2%A5%ED%A5%DE. Gallery Rom,_the_Vacuous_Spider_concept_art.jpg|Rom, the Vacuous Spider concept art Rom, the Vacuous Spider №1.png Image bloodborne-boss 01d.jpg Bloodborne™_20150607233042 - 1.jpg Bloodborne™_20151017215725.jpg Bloodborne™_20150607234112 - 1.jpg Bloodborne™_20151017215817.jpg Bloodborne™_20150607234520.jpg Rom, the Vacuous Spider №6.png Rom, the Vacuous Spider №2.png Bloodborne™_20150607233609 - 1.jpg Spider.jpg|Artwork RCO024_1553097033.jpg|Rom, as she appears in Bloodborne: A Song of Crows. Music Videos Rom, the Vacuous Spider Saw Spear tactic Rom, the Vacuous Spider Flamesprayer strategy References ru:Ром, Праздный Паук Category:Bosses Category:Great Ones Category:Mandatory Boss Category:Chalice Dungeons Bosses Category:Kin Category:Female Characters Category:Comic Characters